Charter government changes most everything. Even how the roads are named. That's what Jason Boothe, Planner 1 in Cecil's Department of Planning and Zoning, explained to the county council recently.

"This is the first naming of a private road request we've had since 2010. We've had inquiries. But this is the first one under the council form of government so the procedure is different," said Boothe. "The process takes longer to get it done. It used to take a month. Now it takes two to three months. There is a mandatory public hearing and we have to wait 30 days." Members of the Baeder family, of the North East area, requested that a private road be named "Eugene's Way" to honor Eugene Baeder. Boothe explained that the family submitted the application and provided the required fee. Boothe then went to work verifying that the road name wasn't duplicated anywhere else in the county. He also had to get approval from the Department of Emergency Services and notify the post office that the request was made. He said that naming private roads is important if there is more than one home on the road. In this instance there are four homes on the road, all belonging to members of the same family. "This will help the Department of Emergency Services if there is an emergency," said Boothe. He explained that having designated house numbers along a private road helps first responders. "We want to make sure there are no delays in emergency response," said Boothe. The final vote on the naming of Eugene's Way will be held on May 5. If it is approved, the road signs will be issued and the road name will be entered into the Department of Emergency Services database. The road will remain a private road all the family will be responsible for maintenance and snow removal. Once the request is approved, each family on that road will receive an assigned house address number.